December 4, 2008: Christmas Party!
Who: All Big Country Audubon members and their families
What: Christmas Party
When: Thursday, December 4, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Rose Park Activity Center located at S. 7th and Barrow, Room A
Bring: Your favorite finger foods, snacks, and a wrapped nature-related gift for the Christmas gift exchange (completely voluntary). Please limit your gift to $10.00.
BCAS will provide: Drinks, plates, and napkins. A very short program (15 to 20 minutes) will be presented!
Saturday, December 13, 2008: Field Trip to Cedar Gap Farm.
We’ll plan to meet at the Hutto’s at 8 a.m and leave before lunch. This is a great field trip to introduce beginners to the joys of birdwatching so fill your car with friends and enjoy the short drive. Our target birds are Red-breasted Nuthatch (pictured above), Spotted Towhee (pictured below), and White-throated Sparrow. For directions and a map, click on birding locations.
Christmas Bird Count – Saturday, January 3, 2009
This year’s 109th Christmas Bird Count will be conducted Saturday, January 3, 2009. If you have never been involved in a CBC or you are a die hard participant, now is the time to get involved. We divide into groups with each group responsible for a pre-selected area in and around Abilene. Each group leader determines the start time, when to take lunch breaks (or whether to bring a lunch), and when to call it quits. You do not have to know what birds you are observing. There will be someone in the group who can identify the species; you only need to know how to count. If you would like to stay home and watch your feeders and report the birds seen at your feeders, we need these results, too.
If you would like to help us count birds this year, please contact us through this web site. Leave your name and a contact e-mail or phone number and I will contact you and assign you to a group. That group’s leader will then contact you regarding time and place to meet. After a day of counting, we will all meet at 6:00 p.m. at my house to turn in the tally sheets, eat, and swap stories.
CBC counts are used as long-term population trends of winter birds. Conducted since 1900, National Audubon uses the data to determine which bird species are increasing, declining, or holding steady. A small fee of five dollars per person aged 19 and older is required for participation. Feeder watchers and those 18 years old and younger are not required to pay a fee. This fee helps offset the printing costs of the Summary of the CBC which every participant receives.
So join us this year. We always have lots of fun; someone usually finds a rarity; and you’ll be contributing to one of the most powerful conservation tools in use today!
7 responses to “December 2008 Calendar”
I’m really planning on helping with count this year. I’m a bit rusty on some of our birds, so put me with somebody who is not so rusty. I ran into Vance McCracken and he is mentoring a scout and they want to count – has he contacted you yet?
Laura –
Charla and I will bring my Boy Scout birdwatching merit badge hopeful, Benjie Jameson, to the CBC on 3 Jan. The 3 of us should probably remain in one group, although we would be delighted if you need to add another person.
I particularly would appreciate Benjie’s name being included in the official list of participants, so, although he is under 18, I would be agreeable to paying a fee for him, if that is what makes such a listing happen.
You are very generous to have supper for us. Please let us bring a dish! Will wait word from you as to what we could bring as well as how you group us, what our area assignment is, when to start, and any other details that we need.
Vance
I would enjoy parcicipating in the Christmas bird count for the Big Country. I know it involves the local Abilene area but there is no group here.
I would like to attend your field trip (if the weather cooperates) on Dec. 13th if that is okay. I would also like to bring 1 0r 2 of my sons, fellow CJC faculty, and/or students. I’m sure that not many would be interested, but I thought I would let them know just in case. Is that okay?
Where is Hutto’s?
Could we just meet you at Cedar Gap Farm?
Laura,
You can count me in. I will talk to the wife and see if she is up for it too. She will be pretty pregnant about that time.
Carson
Tom and i are making plans to attend the CBC.Will wait for your instructions,also will try to go to the Hutto’s tomorrow.
Would love to join the count as a feeder counter –